


The Flicker of Rebellion

by ReclessAbandon



Category: Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Disguise, F/M, Imperial Officers (Star Wars), Infiltration, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Rebellion, Rebels, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, Uprising, Yavin IV, fic request, prompt, request, requested by
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:48:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23312617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReclessAbandon/pseuds/ReclessAbandon
Summary: Having teamed up with the small rebel army in Yavin IV, you and Cal agreed to go undercover to infiltrate the Empire in finding out their plan after learning that they have harvested Kyber crystals in Ilum.
Relationships: Cal Kestis/Reader
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on my Tumblr. Reposting it here on AO3. This was a fic request from one of my followers.

A peacefulness washes over the temple hideout. It’s a normal day in Yavin IV.

Pilots and mechanics spend their break together in the hangar, bantering about dogfights and subjects of engineering. Medics bond with their patients as they receive stories before joining this rebellion whilst tending to their wounds.

Meanwhile, the forest was teeming with hidden gems of fauna—the cawing of the unseen bird amongst the branches, the rustle of the leaves as an apex predator prowls through the vegetation, and the rippling of the water as fish swim through the current—but in the midst of this lush, serene wonder, it was also the perfect place for two certain Jedi to ease their minds.

“Remember to turn in your heel when you do that stance,”

“Good block!”

“Okay, now try to block or evade this one!”

You and Cal exchange affirmations while sparring. It has become your joint pastime while everyone else was busy back in the base; the coolness of the trees and the chirping of the birds were an ideal ambience. The less distractions, the better either of you could work. In a few days’ time in staying in Yavin IV, the two of you already had your personal training course. Sparring was just part of the regimen.

“Ooh, good one!” Cal commented and then pushes you away from your interlock of blades.

“Thanks!”

The birds and tree-dwelling creatures have made a show out of your sparring. Peeking through the thick foliage and hiding behind the wide trunks, they watch curiously at these two strange creatures dancing around with buzzing rods of light.

The sparring was cut short when an alarm blared, it was coming from the base; it had startled away you audience in the tress back into their thickets and nests.

“Could that be the alarm Cere was telling us about?” you asked Cal while keeping your eyes in the general direction of the base.

“Most likely,”

Both of you turn to look at one another. An idea lit up the bulb in your head and your lips curled to a smirk.

“Race ya for it!”

Without waiting for Cal’s reaction, you booked it out of the woods and into the path leading straight back out the base. Cal eventually caught up to you until you were neck-and-neck. The rush flowed around your bloodstreams, the fresh air invigorated your lungs, and the wind blowing in your face made you feel free as a bird. The pair of you pop out of the bushes—startling some of the rebels who were lounging close to its shade—and continued your race from there.

The alarm didn’t stop blaring until for another seven minutes, even when most of the committee has already arrived in the room. You watch the members of the committee pour into the room as they come in, you weren’t expecting to know them but it helps to know who you’re fighting with.

The facilitator of the meeting was Captain Pardell, he took the stand and welcomed everyone first and foremost. He didn’t dwell in the niceties, he grabs the audience by the collar and cuts to the purpose of the meeting.

“As you were all made aware of: this meeting revolves around the subject of the Empire’s next step is. Senator Bail Organa will present his gathered data from the Senate Building all the way from Coruscant first; for those of you who don’t know, Senator Organa represents the planet Alderaan—he is also double-jobbing between us, the Rebellion, while serving his term in the Senate. He also has the most dangerous position among all of us.”

Captain Pardell stepped away from the front and gave the floor to Senator Organa. He thanked the captain’s introduction and spiel, like the captain, he went straight to the point.

“From my time in gathering data, I had the opportunity to join most Senate meetings regarding almost any kind of subject. The one I am presenting now is about the operations that the Empire has begun on Ilum. Like most, I’ve heard of it from our allies—Captain Pardell’s team of spies, Cal Kestis and [y/n]—and then confirmed it further upon my meeting days ago.”

He inserted a data card into the holotable’s data port. The image of the planet llum appears at the center of the table. Noticeable breakage on the planet’s surface and the massive crack along the equator disturbed the audience. Murmurs buzzed about on the benches, heads turn to one another as they comment and bombard questions in hushed whispers. Captain Pardell quieted the crowd with a single raise of the hand, Senator Organa continued.

“This is Ilum in its current state. The Empire has amassed an indefinite load of kyber crystals. The count is unknown, although they’re stored in heavy-duty transport crates—such containers are able to carry a load ranging from 50 to 85 tons. It is highly likely that they are able to hit that 50 or 85-ton mark with the crystals they’ve harvested.”

More murmurs filled the room, you and Cal watch the unhinged committee members in the room turn to one another and whisper their comments.

“They’re killing the planet!” one of the committee members burst while remaining seated.

“What are they going to do with _that_ amount of kyber?!” another faceless voice followed.

Moments later, more and more questions from the crowd were starting to sound like jeers. The both of you had eyes shifting left and right, following each committee member standing up from their bench in an impulse just to voice out their thoughts.

“Enough!” Bail Organa bellowed, and with that the crowd behaved. “As of now, the Office of the Senate was ambiguous as to what they plan to do with this tremendous amount of kyber. This is where our directive comes in.”

Bail introduces Admiral Luthus, a Mon Calamari, like the former speakers the admiral followed the same pattern. He replaces Bail’s data card with his own, as he spoke, projections popped out one after the other.

“Our data specialists managed to take hold a handful of encryption codes from Imperial ships, these encryptions have been programmed into chips such as these,” an image of a sample data chip appeared from the holotable’s projectors.

“Our engineers have retrofitted selected ships so that the pilots can pass through the Imperial blockade since their scanners will register their own code in _our_ ships. Save one Imperial shuttle that we’ve salvaged, repaired, and reprogrammed.”

Another projection pops out, but it was the said Imperial shuttle that the fighters have salvaged from who-knows-where. Admiral Luthus continued.

“Captain Pardell has gathered a small team of spies who will board these ships and infiltrate the Imperial base. He will fill you in on the details. Captain?”

“Once through the blockade, we will land in the planet of Cheth. It is a temperate, tropical planet located in the Scarif system. Reconnaissance tells us that the Imperial has an established base in the planet,”

Captain Pardell flashes a projection of the base’s blueprint and zooms in on certain areas as he explains.

“In this base, there is an archives vault where they store copies of their plans. Security will be tight there, all necessary precautions are exercised there; but we have a trick up our sleeve. Cal Kestis and [y/n] will gain access to the archives vault. While they do their part, my men and I will create a diversion to keep troopers away from the two so they can worry less with close contact and more in retrieving the data.”

The meeting was adjourned, the committee dispersed—some remained inside conversing with today’s speakers, while the others stepped out of the room including you and Cal.

“This is a big mission,” you thought out loud to Cal.

“Yeah. Even when nobody’s telling us, I can already feel their dependence on us on my shoulders,”

“Hey,” you gently tap him by the chest and smile. “Share the load. I got your back.”

The weight that Cal had put on himself somewhat lightened, your comforting words and beaming smile was all the reassurance he needed.


	2. Chapter 2

Everybody each had their own plate full.

For instance, Cere eventually became part of the communications and data encryption team—her knack of splicing, hacking and redirecting communication signals greatly factored to her contribution to the team.

Merrin, on the other hand, found her extensive knowledge with plants and herbs that can be turned to potions that may help with the recovery of the patients in the medical ward.

Meanwhile, you and Cal were working on your own lightsabers, tweaking and polishing your weapons to pass the time.

“Do you think we will have to use our lightsabers _before_ we could reach the archives vault?” you asked out of deep thought while shining the sleeve of your saber.

Cal paused from his own lightsaber and saw the expression on your face. The concern was all over your face despite your pensive tone. He places his hand on your lap.

“Let’s hope not, [y/n],”

Your lip pursed into a smile. A few minutes later, a rebel fighter came walking towards your general direction—he has taken on the role of messenger, relaying the message from the captain himself. The two of you were being summoned to see him in the conference hall from earlier; dropping everything and letting the messenger boy lead the way, either of you had a feeling that this has something to do with the mission.

“Captain? The Jedi are here,”

“Send them in,”

The messenger steps aside from the narrow, open doorway. He dismisses himself as soon as you step into the conference hall. Turns out the captain wasn’t alone. He was accompanied by a woman clad in a different uniform that neither you nor Cal have seen until now.

“Afternoon, Cap,” you casually greet, helping yourself to a seat by the first row of benches to which Cal seats himself next to you.

“Afternoon, [y/n], Cal. I suppose you two are wondering why I’ve called you here,” he gestured to the woman, she steps forward to the holotable, and she reveals a trunk that she has probably been holding while awaiting you both.

The captain proceeded to introduce the woman.

“This is Riva Fane. She is one of our analysts helping us with this operation, and she has been working on your… peripherals for the mission.”

Riva flicked the trunk open and revealed two sets of clothes—one was recognizably an Imperial officer’s gray uniform, whilst the other was a mysterious article of clothing but you immediately noticed the hints of red over the black body color.

“The spies managed to steal an officer’s garb—as you can see, it’s the gray one,” Riva proceeded to take out the uniform from the case. “And we strongly presume this was Cal’s size.”

“And this one?” you point at the black uniform.

“ _That_ ,” Riva clicked her tongue. “Would be yours, [y/n]. Go ahead, take it out of the case.”

Holding it by the shoulder part, you pull out the clothing from the container as Riva instructed, once fully out of the case Cal’s eyes and yours widened, your lips parted as you hoisted your apparent disguise.

“An Inquisitor’s garment?”

“I did some digging on the current Inquisitors. It seems that they weren’t exactly complete from one to whatever number they end with.”

“So what number am I going for here?”

“Glad you asked!”

Riva Fane’s overall perkiness and enthusiasm over her personal fashion project was a complete contrast to what you’re feeling right now; but then again, your emotions are so mixed up that you couldn’t pinpoint what emotion you’re having at the moment. Riva placed a hologram puck in the center of the table and switched it on.

“The roster of Inquisitors is incomplete, I don’t think they bother even filling up the list,” Riva points out as a row of the Inquisitors and their information pop out of the hologram, she waves her hand over the projection as she went on with her exposition.

“Nevertheless, the Inquisitors answer to Darth Vader, the head of it all,” Riva’s perky tone melted into a fearful, softened voice as soon as she flashed the projection the Sith Lord’s profile. There was a shudder in her voice which you and Cal completely understand.

“You two obviously know the Second and Ninth Sisters. But the roster currently has the Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Brothers as well as the Seventh Sister—they have no last known contact with the base in Cheth. It is highly likely that none of them have gone here recently as our spies didn’t pick up anything that may clue us on that, although all of their present whereabouts are unknown.”

“I honestly don’t know whether to be frightened or impressed by this,” Cal half-jokes.

“I only asked what Inquisitor Sister I’m impersonating as,” you add.

“Oh! Sorry about that, I suppose I got a little too carried away with the info,” Riva clears her throat. “You will go by the Sixth Sister.”

“Is there a known Sixth Sister—whether dead or alive?”

“Neither! It’s a totally, whole person—which is kind of an advantage,”

“I think I’ll have to _make_ it an advantage. Either way, I think we can handle it,”

Riva lets you take the case with you on your way back to the Mantis. You have a few hours left of your free time before the mission commences.

“We never asked how they got these things—the officer’s uniform at the very least,” you thought out loud.

“Do you really wanna know?”

You chuckled, your expression suddenly turned somber and Cal noticed it at the corner of his eye.

“Hey,” he placed his hand gingerly on your shoulder. “You okay?”

“I hope we could pull this off. I feel like… _all_ of them are depending on us the most.”

Cal managed a smile, he inched closer to tenderly kiss your right temple, caressing your cheek at the same time.

“We’ll be okay,”

It was only an hour left before the mission could finally commence. The blaring alarm prompted you and Cal to get dressed into your disguises. Cal stepped out of the bathroom where he got changed. The uniform was eerily an accurate fit.

“Look at ya, all prim and proper!” Greez commented.

“Uh, thanks, I guess? Where’s [y/n]?”

You step out of the quarters, adjusting the neckline of your outfit and realigning the collar of the cowl that comes with it, your other hand was holding the mask. Cal examined you from head to toe: hair fixed into a neat ponytail, a black suit with red accents with its complementary cowl and mask.

Your eyes found Cal’s but you notice that his eyes were wandering.

“Cal, my eyes are up here,” you joked. “Well, how do I look?”

“Y-You definitely look the part,” he swallowed the lump in his throat.

You smile back, “So do you.”

You walk up to him and straighten the medal signifying the officer’s rank pinned over his left chest. Cal wasn’t sure if you noticed how he nervously shifted where he stood when you got close enough. Perhaps this new look of yours somehow excited him too much that it made him jumpy.

He watches you and your gloved hands straighten the rank pins on his left chest and flatten the crumples on his sleeves.

“There,” you smile and gently pat him on the chest. When you look up to his eyes, you notice his stare and smile. “What is it?”

He shakes his head, “Nothing. Thanks by the way,”

You reach for his cap on the table and wear it on his head. You straighten the brim so that it’s centered.

“Come on, the shuttle can’t wait for long.”


	3. Chapter 3

The both of you board the shuttle along with the rest of the fighters. It was apparent that they might be the diversion. You saw Riva Fane and Captain Pardell aboard the ship with you as well.

Along the way, you would glance at the mask in your hand and study its design. The light inside the shuttle shines over the film of the red visor, your thumb ran over the material of the mask’s face—it was matte to the touch, but you can tell its material was duraplast.

A crackle over the speakers from the cockpit startled you.

“We are about to make the jump to lightspeed.” The pilot announced.

You tried to relax, taking deep breaths in between, your eyes shift from one soldier to another—unconsciously memorizing their faces, looking for distinguishing features like a scar or face tattoo—and suddenly you feel a hand over yours.

It was Cal’s.

“Nervous?”

“More like anxious,”

He gives a squeeze onto your hand but you eventually intertwined fingers with one another. Cal can feel the tremor in the hand. He wagered it had something to do with the tremendous amount of pressure you have put in your shoulders; he can sense that such thoughts have been running in your mind for some time now.

You noticed a couple of the soldiers wear wearing Stormtrooper armor, you figured that they were decoys for you and Cal. It was a known habit of the Imperial officers and an exploitable one at best.

The turbulence rattled the shuttle, everyone assumed that the ship has entered the orbit of the planet. The same crackle over the speakers was heard in the passenger hold.

“Brace yourselves, we’re about to make our landing. The atmosphere is a little turbulent.” The pilot announced.

All of you held onto the thick bars of the safety harnesses locked over your bodies as the shuttle quaked and rattled. One last shake from the ship signified that you’ve landed. The safety harnesses hissed as they loosened, everyone stood up from their seat and suddenly it felt like all eyes were on both of you.

“This is it, you two. Are you ready?” a soldier asked, configuring his rifle to sniper mode.

You finally donned the mask and pulled the hood of your cowl over your head.

“Ready.”

“Wait.”

Riva Fane walked up to you, in her hand is another case—only smaller than the one that contained your disguises. When she opened it, she revealed another array of tech that her team had procured.

“More toys?” you teased.

“If you want to keep the act flawless until you get to the vault, then these might come in handy,” she played along.

She picked up a card from the case and Cal took it to examine it.

“This is an officer-level access card,”

“An officer will be manning a terminal just outside the main door of the base. I have to say—as early as now—that card won’t get you through the vault. I’m sorry. You’ll have to make a compromise,”

“And here is a data stick of the map of the base,”

“I think BD-1 can handle this,” Cal suggested, taking the data stick from Riva’s hands and then inserting it into BD-1’s data port.

It took less than a minute for BD-1’s processor to boot and embed the map into his memory, shortly after the booting was complete, he flashed a full-sized projection of the map to everybody in the ship.

“I’m sorry again, this is all what we can provide for you in this mission,”

“Hey, don’t feel bad, Riva. Like I said, we’ll make it an advantage,” you winked.

“Good luck,” she beamed. “And may the Force be with us all.”

Once ready, you and Cal exited the ship, tailed by the pair of in-disguise soldiers.

The four of you marched towards the terminal just before the main door, you took a deep breath and attempted to live as the Sixth Sister character you have been making up in your mind all day. Out of

The officer who confirmed the code from the terminal was surprised by the sight of a new Inquisitor. His stance stiffened, shoulders squared, and chest out.

“Is this the base I am to oversee?”

Your natural docile tone transformed into a cold, indifferent, and yet authoritative personality.

“Yes, Sixth Sister,” Cal answered, avoiding eye contact with the terminal officer, but still keeping in character.

“W-We… weren’t given a directive that a new Inquisitor will be joining us,” the officer stammered.

“Well, here I am now, Officer.”

“Of course, I… I will just need your identification card,”

Cal handed over the card that Riva had given, there was an awkward yet tense air looming about you. You can feel the anxiety within your comrades, even underneath those bulky masks. The lieutenant verified the card and opened the main door for you.

You and Cal each gave a salutatory nod at the officer and marched inside. Once the blast door slammed shut, all four of you finally got a chance to breathe easy. Your Stormtrooper decoys sighed through their helmets.

“We’re just getting started,” you said in your natural voice.

The team sidetracked into a seemingly empty hallway, affording a few seconds to find your bearings, you hid away in a nook.

Cal glanced over his shoulder, “BD? Show us the map, will you, please?”

BD-1 flashed the map again in the air. Upon examining the map, you are two levels away from the destination.

“We’re right here,” your finger hovers over the nook, “There’s an elevator south of here. Come on.”

 _So far so good._ You thought to yourself as you strode through the hallways. Not once in your life did you imagine yourself walking along an Imperial base. You ignored the eyeless gazes of the Stormtroopers that you passed by while Cal kept his eyes hidden underneath the brim of his cap.

“A new Inquisitor?”

“Guess they didn’t post the memo sooner,”

You overheard the banter of a couple of Stormtroopers that you passed by along the way. Your sighs were small and reserved, trying to calm yourself with steady breaths as you walked. Cal’s eyes were shifting left and right, but doing his best to narrow them to one direction only.

“Are you okay?” you smuggle a whisper.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You?”

“Chipper.”

The team was finally close to the elevator. It was vacant when you got there so you had the elevator to yourselves. Another opportunity to catch your breaths while no one is looking.

“How is everybody holding up?” you ask in general.

“We’re okay here,” one of the two soldiers replied.

“Good.”

Cal was standing straight, hands tucked behind his back, and chest prodding out. A single chuckle audibly escapes your mouth, not even your mask can conceal that for you—nary a muffle. Cal looked at you, squinting his eyes until he could catch a glimpse of your eyes through that red visor.

“I can feel you smiling in that mask. What is it?”

“Nothing,” you teased.

A few more seconds passed and you came out clean.

“I just think the uniform looks good on you.”

Cal examined himself and then back to you, and smiled.

“You look good yourself.”

Your head jerked to his direction, looked at him for some time before slowly facing front again. Underneath your mask, you bit your lip.


	4. Chapter 4

The elevator door whirred and jerked back into its frame, the four of you step out of the lift and reviewed the map again.

“From where we stand, we just head straight north,” Cal directed.

“The vault is located at the west wing of this area. It’s at the end of the path,” you add.

Cal turned his attention to your two Stormtrooper decoys, “You two will have to cover us by the time we get to the vault. Make sure no one gets past, understood?”

“Yessir!”

All of you continued on, no slip-ups so far, hence the act is still holding up well. You remember what Fane told you before you left the ship. The vault is possibly one of the many areas your access card cannot take you to.

Along the way, more and more eyes were glued to you. Small groups of Stormtroopers cease their gossiping just to look at you. Officers would look over their shoulders once they’ve walked far enough from you. Cal can sense the anxiety and suspicion that they exude, but you had to continue on.

“You there! Excuse me!”

An officer was bold enough to stop you in your tracks. You looked over your shoulder and an elderly officer comes charging towards you.

“I haven’t seen you until now. Who might you be?”

“Perhaps you haven’t received the memo. I’m the Sixth Sister,” you easily went back into character.

“I’m afraid I haven’t received the memo, indeed. What brings you here in Cheth?”

“I am here to oversee the operations in this planet.”

“Let me see your profile data card,”

“My what?”

“Your profile data card. Your identification records. Surely, you and your commander here have been issued one upon your arrival.”

You and Cal exchange glances.

 _Come on, think fast!_ The voice in your head cried as your heart pounded. But in that same moment, you’ve calmed yourself within and you played along.

“Of course,” you complied, until you wave your hand in front of the officer. “But you don’t really need to see our identification.”

A vibration brushed over the officer. His furrowed eyebrows relaxed.

“I don’t really need to see your identification.” He repeated.

Cal’s eyes widened, his lips slightly parted upon witnessing you pull off a Jedi mind trick for the first time. You wave your hand in front of him again, but you kept your hand close to your chest so there aren’t any witnesses aside from your companions. In addition, your voice was gradually sounding back to its original tone.

“You will leave us alone and not bother us anymore.”

“I will leave you alone and not bother you anymore.”

And another.

“This encounter _never_ happened.”

The officer repeated your sentence in verbatim.

“Walk away and move along now.”

The officer _did_ walk away. You beckoned everyone to keep moving. As for Cal, he kept looking over his shoulder and back to you.

“What was that back there?”

“Huh?”

“That!”

“Shh! Not so loud!”

“Since when did you know how to use the Jedi mind trick?”

“Well, I’ve only seen it from my master… during the Clone Wars. Ever since then, I’ve practiced on my own. I’ll teach you what I can once all this is over.”

Later on, you’ve reached the door to the vault, it was another large blast door. Apparently, the control panel of the door doesn’t recognize the card you have on hand. One of your Stormtroopers stepped forward.

“Excuse me, this is where I come in.”

It turns out one of your Stormtroopers was adept in overriding door controls—among other things in his expertise—you were inside the vault’s lobby in less than a minute. The guard at the terminal was startled by your presence, but he didn’t sound the alarm yet as your disguise convinced him.

“Can I help you?”

Another wave of your hand and you fixate your eyes onto the guard on deck.

“You _will_ let us into this vault.”

The guard repeated your words and did as he was told. The blast door retracted open.

“You will keep this door open until we’re gone.”

The guard complied while under the influence of your Jedi mind trick. This is where your Stormtroopers’ cue comes in. They stand ground by the terminal, rifles at the ready.

A vast library of data cards revealed before you as you stepped inside the archives vault. They were stored in cascades, untouched and undisturbed except for a mechanical arm that is operated from the other side—the side where you and Cal stood.

“There’s got to be thousands of these!” Cal exclaimed.

“And we only need to find one…”

Cal took the initiative in finding the plan in the terminal computer while you took control of the mechanical arm’s lever. His fingers flicked in lightning speed on the keypad as he figures how to narrow down the search for the specific data card.

“The plans are labeled in codenames,” Cal blurted.

“Does it show any other kind of information other than the name?”

“The location!”

Cal typed away, expertly navigating his way through the search mode of the terminal—scrolling through multitudes of entries in the database, finding clues and guessing what kinds of codenames the Imps could ever come up with and use.

He muttered out the names as he scrolled through. Both of you flinched at the sound of a body thudding.

“What was that!?” you exclaimed.

“I knocked the guard out cold! He’s snapped out of it!”

“Won’t be long until we start having company!”

Suddenly, time started to feel like it was ticking faster. Cal picked up his pace and skimmed through the list until he found one that seemed the most convincing. His instincts were flaring when he saw the entry’s name.

“Find anything?”

“Project Frost… this has gotta be it! Gimme a sec, I’ll take one quick look.”

The entry showed a preview of the plan—at least the general parts of it—and it further debunked Cal’s presumption that it was the one they were looking for.

“How’d you know that is it?”

“The database entry shows an image of a planet and a map—the planet is the exact same as Ilum when we saw it in the conference.”

Without a doubt, Cal was right and he flashed the beacon of the database entry, revealing its position to you and so you turn the lever to the direction where the data card is.

“Guys! COMPANY!”

From behind, the sound of blasters was deafening and it nearly broke your focus. You narrowed your sights on the flashing light of the data card. A stray blaster hits the wall on your right, barely passing by a hair strand before meeting its mark; Cal finally brandishes his lightsaber and joined the volley, covering for you as you reach for the plans.

“Come on, come on…!” you hiss at yourself through clenched teeth.

Your heart skipped a beat when the arm clings onto the data card’s tray, the arm automatically delivers it to the receiving chute as you eagerly stood there watching the process. You snatched the data card in mere seconds before it actually touches the receiving tray.

“I GOT IT!”

Eventually, you ignited your own lightsaber and returned fire. The Stormtroopers afforded some banter when they saw what they’re dealing with.

“J-JEDI?!”

“THERE’S TWO OF THEM?!”

“Oh no… oh no no no no no…!”

“Not good!”

The Stormtroopers were twice as confused when they saw two of their supposed comrades are firing back at them. The moment you and Cal took out your sabers, their panic increased tenfold and outweighed their confusion with the Stormtrooper decoys. With every step forward for your small band, the Stormtroopers fell back as you thinned out their numbers.

“C’mon, we gotta get outta here!”

You and Cal took the lead, cutting down whatever stood in your path. An alarm blared across the halls, it was followed by a monotonous announcement.

“Assault Squadrons Six and Ten are required. Engage rebel fighters in Quadrant C.”

The announcement repeated itself over the alarm. The said squadrons poured out of nowhere, marching in complete unison, officers gave way to the dispatched squad as they strode through the hallways. In the back of your minds, the fighters have come through but you’re not sure how long they could hold up until reinforcements and transports arrive.

“They need our help,” Cal prompted.

Cal took the lead in heading out of the base. Retracing your steps of how you got inside in the first place, you avoided large groups and slipped into detours just so the group could avoid getting outnumbered, outgunned, and overpowered.


	5. Chapter 5

When the base seemed to have quieted down and still completely unaware of your infiltration scheme, the group manages to break out of the base using the long way around.

The scene at the surface was far more graphic than what you have left at your wake back inside the base. Green and red blaster projectiles were in a ceaseless volley, AT-ST walkers have gone against the rebels’ ground assault tanks and speeder bikes, and some of the fighters on your side came charging through in droves thus overwhelming the opposition.

Finally, everyone gets to remove their masks and breathe a tad bit better now.

Cal tossed away his cap, the Stormtrooper decoys have taken off their helmets, and you pulled down your cowl and shed off your mask.

Of course, this was a confusing and alarming sight to the Imps, but they never had the luxury of processing it in their minds as your companion fights have gunned them down.

“We have to regroup with the shuttle!” Cal cried.

You switched on your comm, “Captain Pardell? Fane? Do either of you copy!?”

Riva was the one to heed to your call, “I hear you, [y/n]!”

“We got the plans. Where are you?”

“We’re still here!”

“Don’t worry, we’re coming!”

You took advantage of your position in the enemy lines—your group flanked the enemy, completely taking them by surprise. Lightsabers purred and hissed as you cut down Stormtroopers one after the other, felling them with swift strikes, deflecting and resending their blasts back at them.

“Come on, we can beat the Jedi! C-Can… we?”

“They’re onto me!”

The Stormtroopers’ voices warbled in fear whenever you come closer to them so you could deliver your blows. This flank assault continued, subsequently thinning the herd to help the rebels’ vanguard, until you’ve rejoined your comrades. From a certain point of view, the rebels have the upper hand and they are evidently winning—all thanks to the couple of Jedi.

“Are they… Are they gonna win!?”

“Aw this can never be good!”

Most of the fighters have retreated to the jungle—the vegetation was sparse but the leaved plants were sizable to serve as covers—you and Cal led the enemies into the woods while everyone else crouched low against shrubs, dropped to the tall grass, and leaned against boulders.

The ambush was effective, further overwhelming the opposition; however, there was another problem—AT-ST walkers. Eventually, you’ve regrouped with Captain Pardell and Fane.

“How long until the transports arrive?” Cal maintained a calmness despite the chaos in this crossfire.

“We lost contact with them!” Captain Pardell replied.

“We have to get this plan to the base!”

A static crackled and popped through your and Cal’s commlink.

“And that’s where we come in, kid!”

A familiar, confident, and jolly voice laughed through the comm.

Before Cal could even afford the split second to say who it was, the Mantis’s engine vigorously roared in the sky, all of you had to shade your eyes with your hands as the ship zoomed past above your heads.

“GREEZ, YOU SON OF A BANTHA YOU!!!!” you screamed at the height of your lungs with a rush of ecstasy coursing through you.

Shortly after, two more transports followed the Mantis by the tail, and then X-Wing fighter ships arrived in droves, scattered and dotted all over the horizon as they came to the rebels’ aid.

A burst of cheers and whistled roared amongst the trees and shrubs in the jungle, even the Stormtroopers were taken aback by the grand entrance of the Mantis and the reinforcements. Not only did they bring reinforcements, but they have brought an astounding amount of boost to the ground force’s morale.

“We can take it from here!” Fane beamed at you and Cal.

“You sure?” you confirmed.

“Don’t worry, making toys isn’t just what I’m good at,” she winked. “Now go!”

You and Cal hurried towards the Mantis—which was only hovering just a few feet above ground—the both of you sprang as high as your heels can hoist you. Each taking hold of the hydraulic bars of the entry ramp, you watch the scene from a bird’s eye view as the Mantis flies away. Red and green rods of light shooting at either end of the landscape, both in the ground and in the sky; the AT-ATs were wading through the waters as the X-Wings take on one AT-AT by threes—perhaps even five!

“Get in, we’re regrouping with the command ship back to base.” Cere beckoned.

You and Cal stormed into the cockpit, tussling Greez’s bald head, shaking him by the shoulders altogether, and bursting in laughter—celebrating his grand entrance.

“Greez, you’re amazing!”

“You just HAD to make a show of it, huh?! You cheeky son of a Bantha!”

“Alright, alright, alright! You kids are gonna make me crash before we could even get out of the planet!” he laughed. “Now you two better find some seats or you’re wiping the floor with your outfits!”

You and Cal braced yourselves in your personal seats in the cockpit. The Lateron cranked the steering wheel and the ship tore through the planet’s atmosphere; the turbulence lasted a little over ten minutes, and directly after that, you were in the calm, hollow vacuum of space.

Upon the Mantis’s exit, more and more ships were coming out of hyperspace—it was the last wave of reinforcements consisting of a single transport and a fleet of at least ten more X-Wings fighters.

“Now don’t you worry about them, they’ll have the situation back there under control.” Cere confidently reassured you.

The trip back to the base was a short and easy one, you made use of the travel time in redirecting the metadata of the plans back to the base when the ship arrived into the system. Some of the transports that came with the Mantis had already caught up and entered the atmosphere together.

When the ships were finally within range of the base, one could almost hear the collective sound of the rebels’ cheers and applause. Before the ships’ landing gears could even touch the soil, everyone at the base approached the landing area and directed their applause and praise to their homebound heroes.

The cheers got louder when the ships’ entry ramps opened up. Fighters from various transports spilled out in numbers. Each one ran up to their friends’ arms, locking themselves in a triumphant embrace, comrades—and probably even lovers—hugged and cupped one another’s faces, as if still grasping the reality of the moment whilst celebrating this one of many more victories.

“Cal Kestis, [y/n]!” a voice called out, once faceless and revealed to be Senator Bail Organa.

Out of impulse, you take out the data card from your pocket, “Senator, I think you’re going to have to keep this.”

You beamed as you handed over the data card to the senator, he looked at the card embedded with a golden circle in the center and then to the both of you.

“ _This_ would never be in my hands… if it weren’t for your courage and bravery. I can never thank you enough.”

“I think the only appropriate thanks for this, Senator, is defeating the Empire. This is the first step, out of many.” Cal smiled.

He pursed a lipless smile and when he couldn’t seem to control it anymore, he burst in a victorious laughter. Each hand clapped both you and Cal on the shoulders, giving a slight shake, and he pulled the two of you to him in an embrace of gratitude.

Cere then hung her each of her arms over you and Cal’s shoulders.

“I’m so proud of the two of you.” She chuckled, then her hands ruffled your hair.

“Thanks, Cere. You were great back there too.” Cal added.

“You guys better be at the party! I’m cookin’!” Greez cuts in.

“Oh don’t worry, we’re not gonna miss it for the world!” you beamed delightfully.

When Cere and Greez entered the scene of celebrating rebels, you and Cal watched it from a distance. Cal slipped his arms around you, reeled you in close to him and trapped you in his arms. You close your eyes and savor the warmth of his hug. A relief washed over the two of you. This may have been a small victory, but it was a vital one in fighting the menace of the Empire.


End file.
